Doug Frost – MS and MW
Doug Frost is a Kansas City author who is one of only three people in the world to have achieved the remarkable distinctions of Master Sommelier and Master of Wine. He has written three books: Uncorking Wine (1996), On Wine (2001), and the Far From Ordinary Spanish Wine Buying Guide (2005). Frost is also host of Check Please, a weekly public TV show, as well as the wine and spirits consultant for United and Continental Airlines. He writes about wine and spirits for many national and international publications, including Hemispheres, Sante magazine, Cheers magazine and is the beverage columnist for the James Beard Award-winning Kansas City Star Food Section. He is a founding partner of Beverage Alcohol Resource, a new educational and consulting company whose other partners are Dale DeGroff, Steve Olson, Paul Pacult and David Wondrich. Cheers magazine selected BAR and its founders as Innovators of the Year for 2007, and Frost as Beverage Innovator of the Year 2009. He runs two wine competitions, the Mid-American Wine Competition and the Jefferson Cup Invitational, now in its twelth year, and in his spare time Doug listens to his massive weird music collection and continues to raise two daughters.
Chris Hoel – Sommelier, The French Laundry in St. Helena, CA
As seasoned professional, Christopher Hoel has gained valuable experience over the last 16 years. He has a diversified background in the industry, and has demonstrated a progressive track record of drive and zeal, beginning as a dishwasher — and working his way up to advanced sommelier at a Michelin 3-star restaurant. Hoel has shared his passion and extensive knowledge of every major wine producing region in the world as an associate in some of the finest establishments in St. Louis, including Bellerive Country Club, Faust’s at the Adam’s Mark, the Starlight Roof at the Chase, Truffles Restaurant and Monarch Restaurant and Wine Bar. He has proven his mettle in the Chaine des Rotisseurs Young Sommelier Competitions, achieving top honors in the Midwest during 2003-2005, and twice advancing to the finals. Currently employed at The French Laundry as a sommelier, Hoel helps create the wine education programs at The Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. He is currently pursuing the Master Sommelier Diploma with the Court of Master Sommeliers and also holds the title of Certified Specialist of Wine with the Society of Wine Educators.
William Bloxsom-Carter- Executive Chef, Playboy Mansion
Mr. William S. Bloxsom-Carter is the Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, California. He has been creating extraordinary food and exclusive wine offerings for Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion parties for over 24 years. His passion for pairing food flavors with wines, both unique varietals as well as the classics, is paramount to the guests’ enjoyment at the Playboy Mansion. To foster the food/wine relationship, Chef Carter serves as a professional judge at numerous wine competitions throughout California yearly. The take-away knowledge from each competition provides him with guidance for future wine buying decisions. In turn, featured wines are exposed to the nearly 100,000 guests that visit the Playboy Mansion each year. Chef Carter features food products purchased directly from farmers and ranchers throughout the United States. Working with the farming and ranching communities, he places great importance on “best practices” for all food products served to Playboy’s international clientèle. He recently completed intense studies with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company focusing on their Gold Standards of Hospitality Service to further enhance the hospitality experience to all guests attending corporate and charity events at the Playboy Mansion. In addition to his responsibilities for Playboy Enterprises, Chef Carter has prepared numerous winery dinners in Paso Robles and the Santa Ynez Valley as well as special events for high-profile clients, focusing on the importance of food and wine pairings and extraordinary hospitality service. Additionally, Chef Carter is a recurring featured guest on numerous radio shows syndicated nationwide describing and promoting California wines and foods. At the Playboy Mansion, Chef Carter has developed an internship/externship program with culinary schools across the country. The program has garnered a national reputation as the preeminent host facility for students. Chef Carter participates in charity events and lends his expertise to the culinary arts program at Pacifica High School in the Oxnard Unified School District in California. Additionally, he is has been active in fund raising efforts for the Oak Park Unified School District and Caregiver’s of Ventura County.
Daryl Groom – Winemaker
A native of Australia, Daryl graduated as a winemaker from Roseworthy Agricultural College and spent his early years working and winemaking at Peter Lehman Wines and Kaiser Stuhl Winery in the Barossa Valley. He became Senior White Winemaker and then Senior Red Winemaker for Penfolds Wines in Australia. His love was producing Penfolds’ famed red wine, Grange, which he oversaw from 1984 until his move to the USA in 1990. Daryl & his family presently reside in the USA. They have called Sonoma County home for the last 17 years. Daryl’s passion for wine sees him judging at 5 international wine shows. He has been a guest speaker on the Queen Mary 2 and Seabourne cruise lines. He has also been a repeat guest on E television in the USA. Listed below are a few other highlights of his distinguished winemaking career.
Quarterly Review of Wines – Winemaker of the Year San Francisco Chronicle – Winemaker of the Year Dallas Morning News – Publishers Award, Winemaker of the Year Houston Chronicle – Winemaker of the Year Los Angeles Times – Winemaker of the Year Mead on Wine – Winemaker of the Year Food & Wine – One of 11 Visionaries to Change the World of Wine Dallas – TV Munson Award for International Accomplishment IWSC – International Winemaker of the Year.
Laurie Daniel- Writer
A resident of the Santa Cruz Mountains , Laurie Daniel has been a journalist for 30 years. Although she grew up in wine-deprived surroundings in the Midwest, she quickly developed an interest in wine after she moved to California . Her weekly wine column is published in several California newspapers, including the San Jose Mercury News and the San Luis Obispo Tribune, and her work has appeared in magazines such as Food & Wine, Wine Country Living, Wines & Vines, Drinks and the Wine Enthusiast. She is a frequent judge at wine competitions in the U.S. and abroad.
Mike Dunne- Writer
Mike Dunne, former longtime restaurant critic, food editor and wine columnist for The Sacramento Bee, continues to judge on the wine-competition circuit as well as write. He does a weekly wine column and occasional features for The Sacramento Bee, along with periodically writing for other publications. He also maintains two blogs, A Year in Wine and Finding Los Cabos, the latter a newly launched site devoted to his explorations in and about San Jose del Cabo at the southern reaches of the Baja peninsula, where he lives a few months each year. Not much wine there, but he is working on that.
Ellen Landis- Sommelier, Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn
Ellen, a published Wine Writer, Certified Sommelier, and Wine Consultant is involved with many aspects throughout the world of wine. As Wine Director and Sommelier at Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn (Half Moon Bay, CA), which she co-owns with husband and chef Ken Landis, she coordinates and hosts wine events to help further educate wine aficionados. (She was previously a Sommelier at the Ritz Carlton for 4 years). She has traveled many wine regions throughout North America including California, Canada, New York, Virginia, Arizona, New Mexico, Connecticut, Oregon and Washington, and several international wine regions as well, including Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy, Rhone, Tuscany, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Australia. Ellen’s wine consultant role includes fine tuning wine lists for restaurants, and creating and implementing wine education seminars. Her wine seminars focus on wine topics such as “Basic Wine Components”, “Wines from around the World”, “Food and Wine Pairings” and specific seminars on various wine regions. In addition to an MBA, Ellen’s wine education includes UC Davis course work, and the Court of Master Sommelier certification program. She regularly serves as a judge at numerous wine competitions including the California State Fair Wine Competition, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the Amador County Fair Wine Competition, the Sonoma Harvest Fair Wine Competition, the West Coast Wine Competition, the Grand Harvest Wine Competition, the Long Beach Grand Cru Wine Competition, the Wine World Market International Wine Competition, the top 12 ZINS of Lodi Wine Competition, Mid America Wine Competition, and Affairs of the Vine competitions. She also hosts blind tastings, and participates as a key speaker and panelist at various wine events. Visit her wine blog at www.ellenonwine.com.
Valery Uhl- Wine Judge and Educator
Dr. Valery Uhl is the Chief Judge and Director of the “North of the Gate” Wine Competition for the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. She also judges the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, the Grand Harvest Awards, the National Women’s Wine Competition, the West Coast Wine Competition and multiple other wine competitions. She has written papers and given lectures on the health benefits of wine. She also educates various Bay Area clubs on wine and food pairings. She continues to collect and donate wine for many of her special causes such as the American Cancer Society of which she is a Board member, various Breast Cancer events, the Festival Opera of Walnut Creek (she was on the Festival Opera Board for 14 years before retiring in 2005), Springhill Elementary School in Lafayette, and Summit Medical Center in Oakland where she is also the Medical Director of Radiation Oncology Services at the AB Summit Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Department of Radiation Oncology.
Traci Dutton- Sommelier, Culinary Institute of America
Traci Dutton serves as the Sommelier in the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America. With the goal of creating The Ultimate California Wine Cellar to be housed in the former Christian Brothers winery, the wine list has won awards and gathered national recognition for the extensive representation of wines from throughout the state, with a special emphasis on Greystone’s Napa neighbors. Ms. Dutton worked in New York City for 14 years and came to California with vast experience in fine dining beverage service and international wine buying. She specialized in Italian wines with her first Sommelier position at Andiamo! and then immersed herself in French wines (though unfortunately, not literally) by joining the top notch service team at the 3 star Montrachet, under the direction of Daniel Johnnes. Ms. Dutton worked as a consultant for several other restaurants in New York at various times specializing in mixology, beer, organic wines and the wines of the northeastern United States. In addition to her work at the CIA, Traci has judged the Dallas Morning New Wine Competition and the LA County Fair “Wines of the World” Competition, two of the largest competitions in the country. She has spoken on marketing at UC Davis, Sonoma State University and the Wine Industry Financial Symposium. Her special interest is in passing on the belief that most wine should be for everyday drinking and to continue to find places which produce.
Joe Hart- Winemaker
Joe Hart has owned, and made wine for, Hart Winery in the Temecula Valley since l980. He is a resident of Carlsbad and the tiny eastern Sierra community of Aspendell, near Bishop. He is a professional member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, Southern California regional director of Family Winemakers of California, and past president of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association. He owns a classic Cessna taildragger, drives a recently restored 1960 Alfa Romeo, and is an avid catch-and-release fly fisherman, pursuing, and occasionally catching, the wily trout of California’s eastern Sierra. He has been a wine judge since 1982.
Dan Berger- Writer
Dan Berger began writing about wine in 1976 and today his column is syndicated nationally by Creators Syndicate to newspapers around the world. He and his wife, Juliann Savage, also publish a weekly wine newsletter, Dan Berger’s Vintage Experiences, available only by subscription. He contributes articles to Gourmet Magazine, Wine Press Northwest, Decanter Magazine in London; the California Grapevine and writes for many trade journals including Cheers and Beverage Dynamics. Mr. Berger also is a speaker on wine at numerous major events. His speaking engagements included being the keynote speaker for an international symposium on Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand. He speaks at trade convocations, such as Terroir 2000, 2001, and 2002 and at the UC-Davis School of Enology and Viticulture. He also teaches wine courses at Sonoma State University and at Santa Rosa Junior College. Mr. Berger’s first wine articles were for Associated Press, where he worked as a reporter and sports writer. His first regular wine column appeared in 1977 in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. In 1979, he joined the staff of the San Diego Union, where his wine columns ran twice weekly and were syndicated nationally by Copley News Service. He also reviewed restaurants for San Diego Home/Garden Magazine for six years.
Ann Littlefield- Consultant
Napa Valley resident, Ann Littlefield fell in love with wine during college years in Europe. A longtime international industry veteran and professional international wine and spirits judge, she specializes in new market development. Pioneering various facets of the international wine business, Ann’s diverse focus includes marketing, buying, selling and teaching in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Ann launched and developed a successful company to market and sell wines of the world to the international airline industry. She went on to create global wine sourcing and corporate wine programs for the leading Internet wine retailers.
Ann judges in many prestigious wine and spirits competitions, including Los Angeles International, San Francisco International Wine, San Francisco International Spirits, Riverside International, Dallas Morning News International, San Francisco Chronicle, Long Beach International, New World International, Pacific Rim International, San Diego International, The New York Wine Classic, Sonoma County Harvest Fair, Central Coast Wine Competition, Mendocino County, Monterey International and Tri Cities Washington State.
Mike Stepanovich – Journalist
Mike Stepanovich has been writing his wine column, “Life is a Cabernet,” since 1985, and judging wines since 1987. An avid wine collector, Mike also teaches wine history, wine appreciation and wine-and-food-pairing classes at Bakersfield College. ”Life is a Cabernet” first appeared in the pages of The Bakersfield Californian, where it ran continuously until 1998. In 1986, “Life is a Cabernet” was syndicated by Columbia Features, and appeared as a regular feature in various newspapers around the nation until 1992, when Columbia Features closed. In 1997 his column began appearing in Bakersfield Magazine, for which Mike also reviews restaurants. His work has appeared in such national and international publications as International Wine Review, Wine News and Wine Business Monthly. He travels extensively and has reported on wine developments in France, Italy, Germany and Austria.
Mike is recognized for his discerning palate, and has judged at such renowned competitions as the American Wine Competition, Indianapolis International Wine Competition, Florida International Wine Competition, Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, and the Riverside International Wine Competition.
He is managing director of the Bakersfield Wine Society, and directs the Bakersfield College Foundation’s annual scholarship fundraiser, “Red & White Wine & Food Festival,” a wine tasting that has grown to among the largest wine events in Central California. He also makes wine from grapes he grows himself, and from other sources. In his spare time, he is writing a tongue-in-cheek novel about wine, tentatively titled “Zinforado!” which he hopes to publish sometime in the future.
David Stevens- Consultant
Dave is an international winemaking consultant who trots the globe helping make better wine. In another life he was winemaker at Napa’s Bouchaine Vineyards, and before that worked closely with Dawnine Dyer as a winemaker at the Napa sparkling wine producer Domaine Chandon.
Deborah Parker Wong- Writer
Deborah Parker Wong is Northern California editor for The Tasting Panel magazine where she reports on the global wine and spirits industries with an emphasis on domestic trends. She holds the Wine and Spirits Education Trust Diploma and is a member of the London-based Circle of Wine Writers and the Wine Media Guild of New York. In addition, Deborah contributes frequently to Sommelier Journal, Vineyard & Winery Management and Cheers magazines. She writes a lively consumer drinks column for Examiner.com and judges several wine competitions each year.
Michael Cervin- Writer
Michael Cervin has been writing about wine for over a decade. He is the author of the national travel book, California Wine Country, about wine destinations throughout the state, as well as two other national travel books. Notable magazines include Decanter, Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits, and the Tasting Panel, among others. His judging experience has included the Best of Vinho Verde Awards in Portugal, the Taste of Rum Festival in Puerto Rico, the Monterey Wine Competition, the California Central Coast Wine Challenge, the Paso Robles Winemaker’s Cook-Off, The Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, and many other wine and food competitions. He is the restaurant critic and travel writer for the Santa Barbara News-Press, and he writes several wine columns.
Tom Bohr – Wine Judge
Tom Bohr has been a wine enthusiast for fifteen years. His love of the vine prompted him to enter the amateur division of the California Wine Tasting Championships, a “blind” competition involving identification of wines. After winning several titles at that level, he was soon graduated to the professional division, normally inhabited by winemakers, sommeliers, and wine salespersons. He is a three-time winner in the pro division. This past year he paired with sommelier Mark Bowery to win both the professional doubles title and the doubles grand championship.Tom has also enjoyed judging wines at the Long Beach Grand Cru competition, the Riverside International Wine Competition, and the Orange County Fair Home Winemaker’s Competition.
Jonathan Mitchell – The Palm- West Hollywood
Wine Director/Sommelier Jonathan Mitchell has fine-tuned wine lists for restaurants such as The Palm, Pacific Dining Car, Morton’s of Chicago (in Boston, Beverly Hills and Burbank), and The Sterling Steakhouse. He has traveled the world, from California’s wine country to France and even to Japan, where he was the sole American judge at the Japan Wine Challenge, hosted by Steven Spurrier.
Jonathan can be seen on KTLA, with Kurt The Cyberguy, talking about wine gadgets, pairings, and new wine apps, and is regularly featured on Tom Leykis’s The Tasting Room and Indie 103.1’s Wino Wednesdays with Liz Warner. He is a regular on Anthony Dias Blue’s Tasting Panel Magazine and is featured in Chalk Hill’s Guide to Sommeliers in America, Variety Magazine and FOX 11 News
He also runs wine seminars and tastings for private parties and major corporations. His wine lists are comprised of many of the greatest wines from all around the world, encompassing all price points and styles.
In his current role as the Assistant General Manager at The Palm West Hollywood, Jonathan combines an easygoing, relaxed style with great passion as he helps guests find that perfect wine to complete their dining experience! His mission is to help demystify wine for them, emphasizing that they trust their own palate. The only thing they NEED to know about wine is if they like it or not. His credo is, “YOU know what you like, so that makes YOU the expert!” That attitude has won Jonathan fans citywide.
He keeps up on current wine trends for fun, and has a roundtable of his own, meeting monthly with LA’s top sommeliers and wine professionals for a casual but educational double-blind tasting.
Linda Murphy – Writer
Linda Murphy is the West Coast editor for JancisRobinson.com, U.S. columnist for Decanter magazine and columnist for WineReviewOnline.com. She also is a contributor to epicurious.com, Napa Sonoma Magazine and several other publications; at The San Francisco Chronicle (2003 through 2006), Linda won two James Beard Awards for her work as the Wine section editor.
In addition to serving as chief judge of the International Eastern Wine Competition, Linda also judges several other competitions, including Critics Challenge, Riverside International Wine Competition, San Francisco International Wine Competition and the Virginia Governor’s Cup. Her book, “American Wine,” co-authored by Jancis Robinson, will be published in fall 2012.
Madline Triffon -
